A bill of lading (BOL) is the contract of carriage and receipt that travels with a shipment. When the SL&C notation appears on it, the bill records that the shipper counted and loaded the freight without the carrier's driver watching. The shipper, in turn, guarantees the accuracy of what it furnished, such as the number, quantity and weight.
The notation fits freight the shipper loads at its own dock, such as a drop trailer.
Shipper Load and Count vs. SLAC, STC, and CLC
Fig. 1 · Comparison
| Item | Who loaded and counted | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| SL&C (shipper load and count) | The shipper; the carrier's driver did not observe | US motor freight bills of lading |
| SLAC (shipper's load and count) | The shipper, from its own information | Ocean bills of lading; CBP approves it on US-bound vessel cargo declarations |
| Said to contain (STC) | Not stated; the description is the shipper's, not verified by the carrier | Bills of lading; CBP rejects it as a vessel cargo description |
| CLC (carrier load and count) | The carrier, which must count the packages it loads | Not in the statute: a label for the opposite arrangement |
On carrier forms, SL&C is also written SLC. SLAC is the form in US Customs and Border Protection rules, and its longer form, "shipper's load, stow and count", adds that the shipper stowed the goods inside the container. US bills of lading law names "said to contain" among the qualifications that can limit a carrier's liability. Under CLC, the count on the bill is the carrier's.
Why Is Shipper Load and Count Used in Logistics?
Paired with a drop trailer, SL&C lets the shipper load on its own schedule rather than with a driver waiting, and the shipper keeps control over how goods are loaded and secured. The cost is that the shipper's count is the one the bill relies on.
The notation also serves the carrier, whose protections for improper loading and unverified counts under federal law depend on the shipper having loaded the goods. It does not end the carrier's responsibility: FedEx Freight's tariff, for one, says the carrier "agrees not to decline liability of claims just because the Bill of Lading is noted 'SL&C'".
Shipper Load and Count and the Law: The Carmack Amendment and 49 U.S.C. Section 80113
Under 49 U.S.C. Section 80113, a common carrier that issues a bill of lading is not liable for damages caused by improper loading when two conditions are met: the shipper loaded the goods, and the bill contains the words "shipper's weight, load, and count" or words of the same meaning. The carrier is also not liable for goods that were not received or do not match the bill's description when the shipper loaded them and the bill is qualified with words such as "said to contain" or "shipper's weight, load, and count", and then only to the extent the carrier does not know whether the goods were received or match.
Interstate cargo claims against motor carriers fall under the Carmack Amendment (49 U.S.C. Section 14706), which sets carrier liability at the actual loss or injury to the property, unless the shipper declared or agreed a lower value. The shipper must show the goods left in good condition and arrived damaged or short, and the amount of the loss; the carrier then has to show it was not negligent and that the shipper's own act, or another excepted cause, was to blame. An SL&C notation is evidence that the loading and the count were the shipper's own act.
Limits of the Notation
The protection SL&C provides has limits written into the statute. When the carrier did the loading, a shipper's-count notation has no effect except for freight concealed by packages. The notation also says nothing about the carrier's duty of care in transit. Carrier tariffs can add terms of their own.
How to Handle Shipper-Loaded Freight
When a consignee (the party receiving the shipment) reports a shortage, resolving whether the loss happened at loading or in transit can be contentious, and freight claims turn on the paperwork. Claims guidance from Steamship Mutual calls the seal "the most important item of evidence" in a shortage, though it also notes that containers are sometimes found empty on discharge despite an intact seal. A seal is not a condition of SL&C itself: the statute does not mention one.
Both shippers and carriers can reduce disputes with a few disciplined habits:
- Put the SL&C notation, in the statutory wording ("shipper's weight, load, and count" or words of the same meaning), directly on the bill of lading rather than relying on a verbal understanding.
- Seal full truckload and container shipments with a high-security seal meeting ISO 17712 and electronically print the seal number on the bill of lading or other shipping documents, as the security criteria for US importers in CTPAT, CBP's supply chain security program, ask of members.
- Have the receiver confirm that the seal is intact and that its number matches the bill of lading before opening the trailer or container.
- Keep loading evidence: dated photos or video of the loaded trailer, weight tickets, packing lists, and the recorded seal number. This documentation is what substantiates a shipper's count if a claim is filed.
- Note any exception at pickup or delivery right away: carrier tariffs can set a short reporting window.